Powerful New Study Blows the “Smoking Pot Makes You Stupid” Myth Out of the Water

You’ve probably seen the propagandistic anti-drug ad that attempts to analogize the perils of drug use with a frying egg: “This is your brain,” the very serious narrator says, as someone holds a whole egg. The hand cracks the egg into a pre-heated pan, and as it sizzles and sputters, the narrator gravely warns, “This is your brain on drugs.”

Of course, the theatrics were intended to scare the bejeezus out of kids who didn’t want to somehow end up idiots for life; but the oft-parodied advertisement has now been officially debunked. Data released for a new study proves cannabis use is not associated with lower IQ or educational performance.

According to British researchers assessing the relationship of cumulative cannabis use by adolescents, once confounding factors had been adjusted, such as cigarette-smoking and childhood depression, “Those who had used cannabis 50 [or more] times did not differ from never-users on either IQ or educational performance.”

A group of 2,235 teens served as the sample group for the study, slated for publication in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, which sought to “test the relationships between cumulative cannabis and IQ at the age of 15 and educational performance at the age of 16.” Of the 15-year-olds, 24% reported having tried cannabis at least one time.

These findings further dispute a previous study published in 2012 in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that suggested heavy cannabis use by those under the age of 18 led to lower IQ twenty years later in life. Though it received a great deal of publicity, further review of the same data published in the same journal implied socioeconomic status — not cannabis use — likely explained the lowered IQ measurement.

In fact, the researchers did find a “robust” correlation between adolescent cigarette smoking and poorer educational performance that had nothing whatsoever to do with marijuana use.

So feel free to laugh — if you didn’t already — the next time anyone references that infamous Drug War fried egg.

why would anyone want to smoke with those terrorists MLK, and Ghandhi. They’re two of the most evil men in history. The FBI had to kill MLK to save his legacy before he was exposed. There’s tons of FBI files showing him to be a sexual deviant and a communist subversive. IF you dont know Ghandi’s issues you’re an idiot

Got to go with Washington. Especially if we’re at his home. Mt. Vernon is almost as cool as Monticello. Tesla is close second. Mozart was talented, but he was also a fuckin prick. I’d rather kick it with Vivaldi. Gandhi is anti-funs to the point of retardation, he basically asked to get shot by denying his cop friend from carrying a firearm. Idiot. Past experience tells me tupac and MLK are going to pass me a blunt wetter than teen pussy at a pop concert. No thanks.

Been around this substance half my life, it definitely lowers your wit, it can help motivate you to do something, but also makes you complicit to BS that would normally bother you. Weed is far better alternative to many pharmaceuticals, but it still is a PITA to quit, and makes majority of people less intelligent. When people argue against this, they sound just like the Prohibitionists lying to us saying pot is as dangerous as meth.

And then after you quit, life is super tough for a couple days, miserable for a few weeks, then post acute withdrawals last maybe years, which one very detrimental affect is the brain fog, memory problems, which make you lose self confidence. Depression is off the hook, you’ll likely not be able to stop suicidal thoughts even if it’s something you’d never do. Even Eminem finally admitted “marijuana drama”, which is the pissy irritable feeling a habitual(1/8 week or more) user will feel if he doesn’t smoke for 24 -48 hours.

My grandfather has been smoking the last 50 years every day, still the chess champ of the town, grew 3 successful business from scratch and still as sharp as a nail. Maybe lazy ass people who sit there and smoke it all day..but to say it makes you less intelligent is a crock of shit, I grew up around it. If anything, it’s moderate use makes people think more critically.

What I posted on Steves comment to me:
“Why are you responding here and not on my post? Too stoned?? I read article, pseudo science imo. After you use pot for years your brain physically changes the way it’s wired, scientists can tell the dif between a habitual smoker and a non smoker just by brain scan.(science proves this) You and I can function normally, because years of use had made our brain adapt.( my opinion). Maybe sober we might be as intelligent as we would be without ever using( unlikely) but people under influence, especially inexperienced users, cannot typically function normally, much less excel at an IQ test. I know you need excuses for your addiction, but don’t attack me for telling what I see as obvious indisputable facts.”

Google marijuana withdrawal. Dozens of forums with thousands of people detailing the same Detox effects I have described. It’s an amazingly useful drug but all you deceived individuals who thinks it’s the holy grail of medicine with zero negative effects have some serious learning to do.

Anyone disagreeing with me likely falls into one of these categories:
-hasn’t smoked habitually
-has never taken a break from smoking, at least never gone cold turkey
-maybe just has great emotional self awareness, zero stress in their life, wasn’t using habitually except for a study of some sort, cuz when you can’t go without using you’re “coping”, if you’re not coping with discomfort, you’re unlikely to be smoking habitually, but I could see this rarity happening.

Nathan Kauspedas You just demonstrated it yet again. See how you just draw your own conclusions from everything you read? Is this is how you educate yourself? Do you read articles and draw your own conclusions without knowing the full story like you did my comment?I smoked it for about 15 years, haven’t had any for about 7 years and I only gave up because I didn’t know where to get any at the time and I was too busy. Oh and because you’re about to draw your own conclusions again and say “your grandfather smokes but you don’t know where to get any blabla” he’ lives in Australia nowadays, not 7 houses around the corner like you’re thinking mate. No, fuck google because it’s full of corporate propaganda and everyone knows it, I’m sure even you know at least that much. I’m not here to argue with anyone or claim it’s something it is or isn’t or say it has no negative repercussions whatsoever, those are just yet more conclusions you drew out of thin air without anyone saying it, but everyone with life experience can see you’re making shit up to compensate for knowledge, either that or you’ve been sucked in by some propaganda and you’re defending it well beyond your own life experience just to try and win a debate. That’s not a smart thing to do because it stands out like dog’s balls.

I would like to say I’ve been smoking marijuana for over 9 years now, and with constant use, smoking oils and eating edibles, it does have some short term memory loss affects yes, but thats it. I have an above average IQ, it does not make you less intelligent. In fact it helps you focus more and retain a lot of what you study. It helped me study through out high school and college, and I was a B average student. Granted that is due to the fact I didn’t turn it work half the time. As for quitting cold turkey it doesn’t have negative effects. Those are purely psychological. I’ve had to quit for probation( not for drug charges this is completely irrelevant) And the worst thing that happened to me was I just had the hopes to be able to smoke again. I also suffer from serious anxiety and depression. It definitely didn’t hike up my thoughts of suicide, the pressure of life did, I smoke weed to ease my mind and to remain calm. So please, ask patients before you go reading bogus articles and stuff from Google.

Maybe that’s cause the brain doesn’t develop until the early 20’s…..I’m 41 and have been lighting up on a consistent bases for 15+ years and tested 131 on the International IQ test last year and 129 in 2014……I scored an 18 on my ACT when I was 18…….

Some guy in the comments thinks it does still make people stupid because they go into his job (Auto parts store) and they cant remember what part they want or what car they even drove in with. I think he is exaggerating a little. (Okay, a lot) Go set him straight people!

It’s disputed, at best, and hardly “blown out of he water”. Most of the research you think it’s contradicting deals with long-term smokers and effects later in life. This experiment, by admission, was only conducted on teens, far before the time other experiments have suggested any sort of permanent mental impairment kicks in. It’s still very much a fluid issue, but hey, I guess sane, measured, truthful and rational analysis of things doesn’t exactly generate the same Clickbait as these hyperbolic headlines, eh?

Not that I agree, necessarily. I just take issue with the hyperbolic language in the headline here; nothing has been settled on the issue, either by the study they cite or the one I’ve cited. Hyperbole as a vehicle for clicks is something this page does a lot and I just try to call them on it as often as possible

Why are you responding here and not on my post? Too stoned?? I read article, pseudo science imo. After you use pot for years your brain physically changes the way it’s wired, scientists can tell the dif between a habitual smoker and a non smoker just by brain scan.(science proves this) You and I can function normally, because years of use had made our brain adapt.( my opinion). Maybe sober we might be as intelligent as we would be without ever using( unlikely) but people under influence, especially inexperienced users, cannot typically function normally, much less excel at an IQ test. I know you need excuses for your addiction, but don’t attack me for telling what I see as obvious indisputable facts.

Well everything you take changes your brain structure. Thats why you get an tolerance and/or different kind of thinking. Your receptors increase as soon as you manipulate over long time your neurotransmitters. Rewiring your brain happens all day as soon as you learn something, especiay at sleeping

I think I’m gonna speak for everyone who’s ever spoken to anyone completely baked. It certainly made them the pinnacle of intelligence while they bought 82 Reeses at a gas station at 2 in the morning. I’ve seen plenty of people go from rational to full retard on pot. It shouldn’t be illegal but stop hyping it as some miracle drug.

The study you feature only focuses on short-term effects. Of course it appears safe in the short-term. Hell, heroin and crack look harmless in the short-term. If you want to get your point across TFTP, you may want to use long-term studies. Unfortunately though, long-term studies really don’t back up your position.

as an avid smoker. i can personally say i win more fencing bouts when i am sober and i screw up less math problems.. so unless being slower and making more mistakes is smarter im not sure… granted all negative effects seem to dissipate within a day or two

Pot puts you in the present, the here and now with heightened senses. If you want a paradigm shift to occur in the way you approach challenges and problems pot is the right tool and will allow you to think differently about things. Alcohol puts you into a stupor, removes you from your intelligence and the ability balance and control yourself. No person on alcohol thinks clearly. Guess which one religious conservative republicans chose and legalized?

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